


Bucky and the Toy Phone

by ZanellBlack



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Happy Ending, Romance, single mother
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-30
Updated: 2020-07-06
Packaged: 2020-11-07 20:57:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20823698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZanellBlack/pseuds/ZanellBlack
Summary: It is a universal unwritten rule that when a child offers you his toy cellphone, you have to take the call. Bucky Barnes knew it. That was the reason why he was now answering an Iron Man toy cellphone in the middle of the common room at Avengers Tower.He had no idea who was the toddler looking up at him with expectant eyes full of hope, nor what he was doing in the Avengers Tower. His mind was racing 100 km/h trying to understand why he was facing this dilemma.





	1. Chapter 1

It is a universal unwritten rule that when a child offers you his toy cellphone, you have to take the call. Bucky Barnes knew it. That was the reason why he was now answering an Iron Man toy cellphone in the middle of the common room at Avengers Tower.

He had no idea who was the toddler looking up at him with expectant eyes full of hope, nor what he was doing in the Avengers Tower. His mind was racing 100 km/h trying to understand why he was facing this dilemma.

Bucky was certain that the people in general were scared of him. Whenever they went out or even when the Avengers saved the day, he tried to stay in the dark because he still feels guilty about all of what he had done as the Winter Soldier. But this kid wasn’t showing fear at all. He was smiling at the Winter Soldier despite his dark clothes and silver arm. The boy kept trying to shove Bucky the toy phone giving him no option but to play along.

\- Hi, this is… Bucky Barnes and I am here with… - He looked down to the toddler as if asking for his name. Lucky for him, the kid seemed smart enough to understand. However he was not that fluent and babbled his name.

-Ethan…

\- Yes, I’m here with Ethan and we are looking for his mom… - Bucky’s voice sounded slur as he elongated the words as if that would make Ethan magically disappear or his mother to appear out of thin air.

\- No! no mamma!!! – The boy said sounding alarmed.

\- Sorry, not looking for Ethan’s mom… we are looking for… - once again the question was open waiting for the toddler to answer.

\- Cap – Ethan stated matter of fact looking too pleased on himself.

\- Right, we are waiting for Cap to come and take Ethan to… -

\- Ice cream!

\- And take him to have some ice cream…

Although he never considered himself to be lucky, he was having one of those strange days in which things worked in his favor because in that moment Steve Rogers entered the room and stared in shock to the grown, intimidating, house brick that was his best friend holding timidly a toy to his ear with a toddler on his feet. The truth is that he really tried to contain his laughter, after all of what they had been through he never expected to face this view. Yet, here was Bucky answering a fake call with an expression full of fear on his face.

But his contained giggle attracted the attention of the toddler who was extremely happy to see Steve at the door and ran to meet him. Bucky then looked behind to see what had made the kid run away.

\- CAAAP!!! – They boy screamed and jumped to Steve’s arms, who caught him effortlessly.

\- Hey buddy… How are you? – Steve was used to kids being excited about meeting him and he always wanted to give a good impression to his little fans. He unruffled his hair and made the toddler smile.

\- Steve Rogers, just the man we were waiting for!! – Perhaps he could help Bucky to solve the mystery of the little boy in the common room. – We were actually calling you because Ethan here wants some ice cream.

\- Who said Ice Cream! – as if the planets aligned, Sam Wilson entered the common room with two pints of ice cream, one vanilla and one chocolate flavor, followed closely by Natasha Romanov. He held the pints in the air what elicited an exited scream and applause from the little boy.

\- Yei… Ice cream!

\- Who’s the boy?- Natasha was the first one to voice openly the question that both supersoldiers were asking themselves.

\- His name is Ethan and when I came in he was there playing with this. – Bucky showed her the toy in his hand which she took from him.

Natasha examined the Iron man print and checked the buttons. By pressing the first one, a recording of Iron Man could be heard; number two was for Captain America; three for Thor and so on with a number for each Avenger. Nat was number 5. It was a funny trinket the one Ethan had, yet the mystery of why he was in the Avengers compound remained.

Sam was the type of person that liked to spoil the little kids… especially if they weren’t his. He didn’t know whose kid was Ethan, but since he was already there, he decided to share his Ice Cream with his new ice-cream-buddy.

Ethan waited patiently until Sam gave him a spoon and started to eat with the Avenger. Soon they were joined by Steve, Bucky and Nat who shared the ice cream too eyeing carefully the kid. They were laughing and dotting the little boy until he stood up and ran to the entrance.

\- Mamma!!! – The mother of Ethan entered the common room followed by Tony Stark and Pepper Potts.

\- Hey baby… did you have fun? – Chiara, the woman in question, bent down to see her son face to face. His face was sticky and smelling like vanilla - Come, let’s clean that face before we go home. – She moved to a corner of the common room to where she had left the bag with all that Ethan could need while they were out, including wet wipes.

Tony was entertained by Sam, Buck, Nat and Steve’s dumb folded expression. They had known Chiara for about five months already and she was good at keeping her private life private.

The young mother made sure that all their belongings were in place and took the carrier bag, then her son and turned to the table where she noticed the Ice Cream and the Avengers - Thank you very much for taking care of him. Say thank you to them Ethan.

-‘kiu! – Ethan wasn’t as convinced as to say thank you to the Avengers because he knew it meant they were leaving, and he wasn’t ok with it but he knew the word of his mother was final.

As she was walking to the exit, Chiara turned to say goodbye to Tony - We have to go, but I promise I will bring those documents as soon as possible. – Ethan was now hiding his face on her mother’s neck

\- Don’t stress over them, we’ll be waiting for them… you Ethan, take care and remember… you can call me whenever you want. – Tony rubbed the kid’s back as he said goodbye then took the toy phone to return it to the kid, after all, he was the one who got it for him on the first place. Ethan took it giggling and started to press buttons as Chiara carried him to the exit and Pepper followed her and Tony stayed behind.

After a moment of silence Sam was the first to break the silence that somehow had taken over the whole room. - Then, Ethan is Chiara’s child? – Tony was still facing the door seeing how Pepper was taking her cousin to the entrance.

\- Yes… he is. – He was enjoying himself. He wanted to gloat over the fact the others were clueless about what was going on.

Bucky’s face had fallen and a somber shadow had taken home on his face. Chiara had a small child and probably had a perfect husband waiting for her at home. Suddenly the dream of the suburban house with a white fence, a dog and a couple of children running around popped the bubble he had secretly feed during the last months since Pepper introduced Chiara to the team.

Or perhaps his dream was not as secretly as he wished. – Buck, you ok? – Steve asked to the still astonished Bucky that kept staring at the door through which Chiara and Ethan left.

\- Yeah, yes… why shouldn’t I? – He replied hurriedly trying to mask the pain that was breaking his heart in this very moment.

\- Well, because the girl you’ve been fanning over for weeks has a small child and you just found out and couldn’t ask about it. – Sam also had noticed how Bucky was slowly falling for the woman that appeared not so long ago in the Tower to be introduced as Pepper’s cousin.

Now Bucky was truly annoyed that his feelings were so easy to read. - Shut up birdbrain!

\- Ethan is an amazing kid I must say… and I am his favorite Avenger.- Tony intervened still enjoying himself in the amusement the confusing feelings from Bucky caused to everyone.

In that moment Pepper reentered the room, she had heard the last part of the conversation – Yes, but only because you are giving him Iron Man themed toys. – Pepper was not as happy about the tension in the room as Tony and knew exactly what was going on.

\- Well, they are working, the kid loves me and I am his favorite uncle, which proves that our baby is going to love me too. – Tony got close to Pepper and hugged her placing a hand over her swollen stomach.

Pepper was five months into her pregnancy, something that had and hadn’t taken everyone by surprise at the same time. During a stroll in the park just before Thanos attacked Earth Tony was trying to convince Pepper of having a kid. In that moment he suggested the name Morgan for their firstborn remembering that Pepper had an Uncle Morgan and the name could fit a girl or a boy equally.

Three months after defeating the mad Titan, Pepper was certain she was pregnant. She had no close family in New York for sharing this journey. However her cousin, daughter of the unusual Uncle Morgan had a toddler and experience with pregnancy and babies. And she had been living in Manhattan for over a year now because of her work.

The cousins arranged a meeting in a cozy, protected coffee house out of the sight of the paparazzi and since then, they reignited the friendship they shared in their youth. Which meant that Ethan had bonded with Pepper, and of course, not wanting to be left out and being extremely anxious about paternity, Tony bonded with Ethan.

The little boy was smart, vivacious and happy, as any toddler should be. It was true that his mother Chiara sometimes worked until late because she was trying to juggle her professional career and her responsibilities as a single mother, yet she tried to be as much as she could with him to give him the best life she could.

Chiara visited the Avengers Tower often since their reunion and Pepper noticed she had taken some liking for the brooding Bucky Barnes. Stealing a glance every now and then, they started to talk often inserting a flirting phrase or two and a bright open smile.

But as much as she probably liked the man, Pepper was certain her cousin would not do anything to explore what she may feel for Bucky in the fear of doing something that could affect her son. He was the most precious person for Chiara and she shielded over the idea of doing it for him to face her fear of being rejected by the former Winter Soldier.

Everyone had seen the awkward, shy and sometimes shameful interactions between Bucky and Chiara. Actually Steve swore that the first time Bucky truly smiled was during his first conversation with Chiara. Everyone could see the interest one had in the other… everyone but them. They feared facing their feelings and the fact that broody Bucky retuned put a damper over their blooming relationship.

Fortunately Pepper and Steve cared more about the happiness of their beloved ones than their fears. Seeing how somber Bucky seemed down after the encounter with Ethan, Pepper decided to spill all the beans for the sake of her cousin.

\- Chiara was seeing this guy some years ago. They had a relationship, or so she thought. On his birthday Chiara called the guy to, you know… to congratulate him on his birthday. But he didn’t answer. Instead his girlfriend took the call. – An audible gasp paused the retelling of the story. – She was muted by anger and never again tried to contact him. However two months later Chiara learnt that she was pregnant. She was excited about the baby and talked to Uncle Morgan, you know, that eccentric member of every family, and he supported his daughter. And voilá… seven months later, Ethan was born. She had been taking care of him and he is a wonderful boy.

\- That means that she’s a single mother? – Natasha wanted to clarify the situation, just to see if the information could go through the thick skull of Bucky to prevent him from falling out of love.

\- Yes, she is. She doesn’t even mention the name of Ethan’s biological father and his name is not in the birth certificate. We’ve checked it twice. – Pepper wanted it to be final, to make them understand that Chiara was in complete control of her choices.

\- Well, you know what they say… Someone’s lose is other’s gain. Who wouldn’t want to have that sweet kid right? – Sam chimed in elbowing Bucky. As much as they bicker to each other, they were friends and this was one of those topics you don’t play about. Sam was also warming up to the idea of Bucky having a girlfriend. Perhaps he could be less grumpy, but mostly, he could be happier.

Tony decided to side with his wife, after all Ethan was his nephew and he doesn’t want to sleep in the couch. – Of course! That kid is so easy to love.

But for Bucky, it wasn’t enough. He stood up and put the bowl and spoon in the dishwasher leaving the common room without saying a word. It was not that he was angry or disappointed. Actually he couldn’t put a name to what he was feeling right now.

Steve followed Bucky to make sure he was fine. - You sure you ok pal? – He put a reassuring hand over his shoulder. Whatever he was facing, he was not alone, or so Steve wanted him to feel.

Somehow all the explanations were insufficient. Bucky sigh before answering. - No Steve, I … I don’t know what to think. I think I was starting to like Chiara and now… I need to think.

Steve understood. He wasn’t ready, not now, not yet. - Sure pal, take your time… Just don’t take forever.

Bucky entered his room to find his peace in silence. And Steve, he went back to the others to try and found out what could they do to ease the ache of their friend.


	2. Chapter 2

Bucky took his time to sort out his feelings. He tried to read, to watch movies, to take long walks in the park... but during those activities all he could think of was Chiara and Ethan. And her ex… he was fearing that he may come back one day and be interested in them, reducing his chance to be in their lives to a zero.

Pepper invited more often Chiara and Ethan with the excuse of work and sharing anecdotes before her daughter was born. But they knew perfectly that the reason behind all of those invitations was to make her and Bucky to interact with mixed effects.

Some days, Bucky would start a conversation with Chiara only to be interrupted by Ethan throwing a tantrum or trying to get full attention from his mother. Some days, Ethan wanted to play with Bucky and Steve, usually letting Bucky to play the bad guy against Captain America and his tiny sidekick.

Sam noticed the conflictive attitude from the boy and stated to call him little devil. He even mentioned once that Ethan was jealous of Bucky and that was the reason behind his hesitancy. 

Chiara and Ethan became regulars in the Avengers compound; they visited at least 3 times a week, sometimes every day. That was until Chiara got really sick. For days, Chiara had been under the weather, but she still needed to go to work and care for her son.

However, she couldn’t run far from illness for too long. It didn’t help that Ethan’s usual nanny had to attend a congress from college during that week. So on top of her usual work and being a single mother, Chiara had to deal with a very aggressive flu.

Luckily her boss noticed the red watery eyes, the running nose and the coughing and sent her home for the weekend a lucky Thursday. Chiara was grateful until she realized that Ethan was especially energetic that day. On their way home he kept pointing at every car, house and tree he could see.

She entered home and put Ethan down in the living room while she went to serve the take away food she got before picking up the boy from school, in no way she wanted to make dinner under her condition. After they ate, she poured a cup of tea and sat in the couch watching over Ethan who was drawing on the coffee table.

Ethan was coloring a page from a Power Rangers coloring book and turned to show his work to his mother, just to find her sleeping. He moved closer to her and tried to open her eyes, just to listen to her grunting and turning over a bit. Ethan stared once again at his mother and stayed still for over a minute. Nothing changed; his mother wasn’t paying attention to him.

So he did what any reasonable toddler would do, he went to grab some toys from his room and brought them to the coffee table, being one of them, the toy phone that his uncle Tony gave him.

The thing with that particular toy phone is that, as always, Tony went over the top with it. So when Ethan was playing after his mother took an involuntary nap, he pressed the number 0 and the button on the side and was connected to F.R.I.D.A.Y. immediately.

The I.A. voice spoke to the boy. – Ethan, can I be of assistance today? – Tony had programmed a direct line in case of an emergency, something that Ethan could dial easily in case he needed an Avengers intervention. He never imagined that the kid would call him accidentally, which was obvious if you think about it, unless you’re the smart Tony Stark.

The little wasn’t scared of the I.A. voice. You could blame the TV and all of the internet apps of him being familiar with a mysterious voice, so the boy wasn’t afraid to converse with the immaterial being – Yes, wanna call Bucky. – He was the first person that came to his mind. 

Over the previous weeks, Bucky tried to get close to Ethan and Ethan was happy to get his attention. Not only because he was friends with Captain America, one of his heroes… but because he really liked Bucky, but somehow he also couldn’t stand him at times.

Following the instructions from Tony, the I.A. connected the call to the Avenger in question.

Bucky was exercising at the gym. Doing repetitions was the best way he found of thinking through what was happening around him. And it was a distraction from thinking how he still liked Chiara and how Ethan sometimes seemed to like him and sometimes wanted him as far away as possible from his mother. Which the others said it was normal for a child his age since he was getting to the Oedipus complex. 

He was immersed in his thoughts when F.R.I.D.A.Y. called for him. – Mr. Barnes, you have a call request, shall I connect it to your mobile?

It took him by surprise, he usually never get calls and he could count with one hand the number of people who has his number or wanted to talk to him. – Sure. – He went to his phone and pressed the answer button to receive the call. – Hi, this is Bucky, who’s calling?

  * Hello, this Ethan.
  * Ethan? – Bucky was surprised to hear the little boy’s voice, he wasn’t sure he knew how to make a call. He tried to contain his panic keeping at by the thoughts of Chiara and Ethan having an accident or worst. - What are you doing? Does your mother know you’re calling me?
  * No, she is sleep. – Ethan replied casually.
  * Are you in danger? – Since he was doing fine, then it had to be something else.
  * But mommy is sick.
  * Are you alone? – Bucky heard the boy saying yes and his mind started to race 100 mph with all of the things that could go wrong when you have a little kid home alone. - Do you want me to come and check on your mom?
  * Yes please.
  * Don’t move Ethan until I come and get you.
  * Okey! See ya! – The boy said casually not knowing the storm he created in Bucky.

Bucky just had time to put on a jacket and grab the keys of one of the many cars that Tony had in the garage. He was halfway to the car when he realized something: he had no idea where Chiara lived. A little ashamed of having overlooked such an important detail, he called for help. - Umph, F.R.I.D.A.Y. do you have Chiara’s address?

Of course the I.A. had the address. - I have sent it already to your mobile Mr. Barnes. I also must tell you that the key to her apartment is in the common room, it is perfectly labeled on the first drawer from the right.

  * Thank you, F.R.I.D.A.Y.

Bucky went back to retrieve the key which truly was perfectly labeled as “CHIARA”, went back to the garage and hurried to the apartment. He was preoccupied that something bad had happen to Chiara. He just knew she was sick and Ethan was home alone. A bunch of scenarios crossed his mind. But he gave himself some time to grab some medicines for her. 

With each passing light he grew anxious about the little boy being alone. Finally he arrived to the building marked on the GPS and hurried to number 3B. Even when he was extremely unsettled, his training as the Winter Soldier prevailed allowing him to open the door. At the sight of him, Ethan ran full throttle and threw his arms around his legs as a greeting. 

Bucky felt relief at once, he unruffled his hair and looked around. He then saw Chiara. The position in which she was sleeping surely would let her neck in pain when she wakes up. So he turned to Ethan and whispered. – Let’s take mom to bed, shall we? – And Bucky entered, closed the door and moved to carry her.

Ethan nodded enthusiastically and ran to show Bucky his mother’s room. Bucky couldn’t help noticing her beauty. He was mesmerized by her full lips and the rhythm of her breathing. He put her to bed, took off her shoes and made sure she was comfortable before turning to deal with the little devil.

He closed the door and turned to Ethan. – Well, pal, now… what were you doing when you called? – Ethan showed him his coloring book but decided it was more important to show Bucky the apartment paying special attention to his room and his Iron Man toys. After the mini tour and having found another book that needed color, Bucky went to the kitchen to make some chicken soup and clean a little bit what he could find.

Chiara woke up when the sun was down in bed and was scared when she noticed the hour. She knew Ethan was alone. She felt ill still, weak but she had a responsibility with her son. So imagine her surprise when she went out and saw Ethan and Bucky having dinner and discussing school.

\- Then what did the miss said when you took your crayons from the girl? – Bucky asked completely immerse in their conversation.

\- She says… she says I have to share them, like with Benji… but it was my turn!

\- Of course it was your turn! She already had them for her flower. 

Listening to a contained giggle that became a cough Bucky looked up to find Chiara smiling. Despite having red puffy eyes because of the flu, he found her beautiful. In that precise moment he understood how smitten he was. He didn’t want to deny it anymore. Yet the excited squeal from Ethan brought him back to reality. Because Ethan was Chiara’s priority and he didn’t know if he fitted into that equation, not when sometimes Ethan behaved as if he wanted Bucky around and others like a rival who was trying to steal his mother from him.

\- Mommy, Bucky came. – The little boy ran to the arms of his mother.

\- Yes baby, I can see that… but why? – Chiara turned to see the beaming face of Bucky. He looked as handsome as ever and she… well, she had been sleeping all day due to the flu so probably not the prettiest sight right now.

\- Oh, Ethan called me and said you were sick, so I came to watch over him.

\- Thank you Bucky, but you shouldn’t have – She was ashamed that he had to come and a light pink tinted her cheeks. Then she found herself thinking about what he had just said – When you said “he called me”… what do you mean exactly? – remembering her phone was on her purse and that Ethan couldn’t have known Bucky’s number because not even Chiara had it.

\- Well, F.R.I.D.A.Y. told me I had a call from Ethan. – Both adults were shocked when they realized the impossibilities regarding a call from Ethan.

\- Ethan, how did you call Bucky? – Chiara asked and the boy ran to give her the toy phone he received from Tony. And of course, everything made sense in a minute. She would be mentioning it to Tony and Pepper in their next meeting.

As if in cue to break the tension from the moment, the TV announced Ethan’s favorite show and he squealed excitedly – “Watch Bucky”. Ethan grabbed Bucky’s hand to take him to the sofa and sat next to him to watch Paw Patrol.

Of course Ethan pointed and explained the whole episode to Bucky, he was excited. Bucky noticed it, and he noticed how Chiara sat next to him and Ethan. He thought that he could get used to this: good days and bad days ending with a cartoon show. It was a bittersweet feeling, hope clouded by fear. He craved more and more for this dreamed life.

Unbeknown to him, Chiara craved for the same. Right now the illness was taking the best from her, but she was elated to have Bucky there, responding a call from her son. And Ethan was beyond himself. He liked the attention he got from both adults next to him, they were his favorite adults, and for a first night, the three of them were complete.


End file.
